


Aurora

by PaintingWithWords (paint_with_words)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: College Student Katsuki Yuuri, College Student Phichit Chulanont, Detroit Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, YOI Space Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 12:59:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13881372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paint_with_words/pseuds/PaintingWithWords
Summary: Yuuri is there the first time Phichit sees the northern lights in Detroit.





	Aurora

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [YOI Space Week](https://yoistargazers.tumblr.com/). The prompt was stars. The auroras are caused when electrically charged particles ejected from the Sun strike the Earth's magnetic field. They're visible closer to the Earth's magnetic poles. And, yes, you can sometimes see them in Detroit.
> 
> If you like what you've read, please let me know with a kudo and/or a comment. I would really appreciate it.

Yuuri settled down on his bed, his backpack next to him, ready for a long evening of studying.  It was early in the semester, but the first test in his calculus class was next week and there was so much he had to review.  He wanted to do well on the test so there’d be one less thing to worry about.  He’d just gotten through the first page of his notes when Phichit excitedly knocked on his door.

“Yuuri!” Phichit yelled through his door.  “Come look out the window!  I think I can see an aurora in the sky!”

Yuuri put his notebook and index cards down on the bed and opened the door.  Phichit was looking out the living room window with glee, already dressed in his coat, gloves and hat, as though prepared to run outside and brave the cold at any moment.  He walked up to stand beside Phichit, who made room for him at the window.

“I think that’s it right there,” Phichit said, pointing one gloved finger at a spot of greenish light hanging low on the horizon.  “You’ve seen them before, Yuuri.  Is that an aurora?”

Yuuri peered out the window, focusing on the faint and distant greenish light.  It moved slowly, almost like it was stretching itself out over the clear night sky.  Next to him, Phichit had his face pressed against the window, his breath fogging the glass around his nose with every exhalation, trying to get a better look. 

“Yes, Phichit, that’s an aurora,” Yuuri said, smiling as Phichit squealed with unabashed joy.

He was about to return to his room and his books when Phichit reached out and grabbed his arm. 

“C’mon, Yuuri!  Let’s go outside and watch it together!  Studying can wait for a little bit.  Please?”

The test was next week: a little break now wouldn’t hurt and he still had time to catch up on his studying later.  Besides, how many chances would he get to enjoy the aurora borealis with his best friend?  What was it Phichit was always telling him to do?  Live in the moment?  Phichit was right: studying could wait for a while.  He slipped on his coat, hat, and gloves and followed his friend outside, locking the door behind them. 

They made their way to the park a couple of blocks away from their apartment so they could get a full view of the night sky.  Yuuri walked a few feet behind Phichit, watching him take in the sight of the northern lights twisting among the stars.  It was almost more fun to watch Phichit than it was to watch the aurora itself.  Yuuri had been in Detroit for a couple of years and he’d seen them before, but this was Phichit’s first time, and his excitement was infectious.

As they reached the park, another bright green aurora bloomed overhead, ripping across the sky like a long banner slowly waving in the wind.  Phichit gasped and looked up, captivated by the sight.

“Oooh!  They’re so beautiful!” Phichit cried as he climbed the small hill in the middle of the park and sat down. “You never get to see anything like this in Bangkok.”

Yuuri sat down next to Phichit, leaned back on his hands, and smiled.  The northern lights really were beautiful, but sometimes you needed someone else’s point of view to appreciate just how lovely they were.

Overhead, the lights danced across the sky, and Yuuri understood Phichit’s sense of wonder as he gazed up at their gossamer-thin, graceful beauty.   Watching them with Phichit was almost like he was seeing them again for the very first time.

They sat on the hill, barely noticing the cold or the passing time, lost in the wonder of the celestial show above them.  Phichit delighted in every pale ribbon of light that twirled across the sky, as entranced as the proverbial child let loose in the candy store.  Sometimes the auroras rolled across the darkness almost like waves, or rippled like long curtains in front of an open window, lighting up the night with their pale, ethereal light.  Other times, they would almost seem to shine down on them, like ghostly beams of light breaking through invisible clouds in the night, or like light seen from deep under the water.  Once, an aurora appeared high in the sky, shining red for a brief moment before it faded away, leaving them both gasping in wonder.  The sight was breathtaking.

Yuuri watched as a faint glowing ribbon of green cut across the sky, occasionally moving across the stars but not obscuring them.  Next to him, Phichit sighed, his eyes wide, entranced.  Yuuri couldn’t help but smile at the expression of pure joy spread across his friend’s face. 

“Oh my God,” Phichit said, quickly reaching into his coat pocket for his phone, “I totally forgot to take any pictures!  What’s wrong with me?”  Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh as Phichit held his phone out and began snapping selfies with the aurora blazing behind him.

“People back home will never believe how beautiful the northern lights really are,” Phichit said as he looked through the pictures, frowning.  “These photos really don’t do them justice at all.  They’re all washed out because of the flash.  Come here, let’s see if we can get some pictures together!”

Yuuri leaned in and smiled as Phichit snapped a few photos, some with the flash on and some without.  The flash blinded him and made it hard to see the northern lights.  They tried to take a few without the flash so the aurora would show up, but then you couldn’t make out who was in the picture.  The two of them were just featureless, dark shapes against the glowing night sky.

“I think you need a professional camera to get good pictures of the aurora, Phichit,” Yuuri said, blinking owlishly in an attempt to get his sight back. 

“Well, shit,” Phichit muttered.  “I guess we’ll just have to make do with what we’ve got then, huh?  Let’s try the video.”  Yuuri watched as Phichit recorded several of them, one of which he narrated in Thai and another one in English.  He was completely unprepared when Phichit turned his phone on him.

“Say hello to everyone, Yuuri!” Phichit laughed.

Yuuri shrunk down in his coat and gave a small wave instead.  He was never very comfortable around cameras, and he disliked video even more, as all his shortcomings were on display.

“Aww, Yuuri’s shy!” Phichit teased mildly, still recording.

“Yuuri’s cold,” Yuuri countered, aware that the camera was still rolling and not caring.  He was cold, and it was getting colder.

“Yuuri’s right, it is cold,” Phichit said.  Then Phichit moved to sit next to him and turned the phone so it could record them both.  “That’s all for now, everyone.  See you next time!  Bye!”  Yuuri shivered when Phichit turned off his phone and looked down at the display.

“Crap, it’s past eleven!” Phichit yowled as he shot up.  “It’s late!  We’ve got to get home!”

Yuuri stood up as well, stomping his feet to drive off the pins and needles that came from sitting on them for so long.  They headed back to the apartment, their eyes still on the sky.

“I wonder,” Yuuri mused as they climbed the stairs, “could you do a routine based on the northern lights?  They’re so graceful and fluid.”  He could almost see the beginnings of a routine.  Maybe he could convey the beauty of the aurora borealis with a layback Ina Bauer, or perhaps a hydroblade?  It wouldn’t work for a short program or a free skate, but maybe he could do it as part of an exhibition program…

“You could do it, Yuuri,” Phichit said eagerly as he unlocked the door and they stepped inside. “You’re graceful enough to make it work.  Thank you for going out to look at the northern lights with me.  Experiences like that are better shared.”

“You’re welcome, Phichit,” Yuuri said as he took off his coat and hung it up in the closet.  “Thank you for asking me to come and watch them with you.  You’re right, it is better shared.”

Suppressing a yawn, Yuuri cleared off his bed and put his schoolwork away.  He could make up for the time he lost tonight and do some extra studying tomorrow.  There was still plenty of time.  He thought about the wonder of the aurora borealis instead of the precision of calculus as he got ready for bed.  Yuuri drifted off to sleep, dreaming that he slowly danced over the ice, letting everyone see the beauty of the aurora in his gentle and graceful movements.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! As always, comments & kudos are appreciated. You can read more of my fics [here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/paint_with_words/works).


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